British Walk-out Over Giscard 'Trick'

The Daily Telegraph ^ | June 7, 2003 | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard in Brussels

[bruinbirdman]

Britain's representative on the elite body drafting a European Constitution stormed out of a crucial meeting last night in protest at last-minute changes to the text that were deemed profoundly threatening by Westminster and other national parliaments.

Gisela Stuart, a Labour MP, reacted with fury to efforts by Valery Giscard d'Estaing, who heads the drafting team, to sneak through new clauses that would change the character of the European Union.

"These issues had never been discussed before by the praesidium, and there was no justification for adding them now," she said. "I told them this was getting silly, I had a plane to catch, and I wasn't even going talk about them."

The offending clauses were a back-door move to allow future treaty changes to be made without requiring ratification by national parliaments.

The Spanish and Danish representatives also protested, forcing M Giscard d'Estaing to pull the text off the table.

[Southack]

Hey, it's not like a lot of the EU politicians are even *elected* by the people themselves, anyway. When the media talks about EU "elections", they are usually referring to bureaucratic appointments and votes by other officials, seldom actual votes by the European people themselves.

So trying to sneak through changes to their own Constitution, without bothering with a vote, is hardly out of character for the ethically and morally challenged socialists that abound on that poor continent...

[jimkress]

What did they expect from a Frenchman? Honesty?

[Cicero]

That's the main problem with the EU. Unelected government, which is completely unresponsive to the needs or wishes of ordinary people.

[spokeshave]

Maybe all those against can walk out so there is no Quorum....

They need to borrow a fillibuster or two

[Torie]

Forced union without underlying consensus is a fools errand. This idea of expanding the EU beyond economics is quite nutso. It is doomed to failure. Even if all signed on, at the first sign of stress, it would all unravel. Someone is biting off far more than they can chew, animated by hubris - - self destructive hubris.

[DeFault User]

Giscard d'Estaing was just trying to do what Napoleon couldn't.

[blam]

"That's the main problem with the EU. Unelected government, which is completely unresponsive to the needs or wishes of ordinary people."

Yup. My grandkids could be fighting these socialists.

[jlogajan]

I told them this was getting silly

That's it then. Stop the sketch, it is getting too silly.

[detsaoT]

The EU is really striving to become the next Soviet Union, isn't it?

(When can we cede California to the EU? Is now too late?)

:) ttt

[bruinbirdman]

"The EU is really striving to become the next Soviet Union, isn't it? "

Neo-coms and Armani commies now seek to fulfill the Stalinist maxim, "We will use the capitalist's rope to hang him. The Third Way socialists are no longer burdened with Marxist economics (supporting the USSR). They will use the capitalist economic model until they have the means to institute their ideological goals (power for the elite believers).

Here is part of The Third Way Manifesto

"Third Way advocates a shift to Citizens Income for all, instead of the present complex, often anomalous and expensive to administer mess of benefits. Citizens Income (sometimes called "Basic Income") is a sum, the same for all, payable through the State as an inalienable right to all citizens of the country, throughout their lives and sufficient to at least meet the cost of their basic needs. It is true "stakeholding" in the society and its economy. There would of course be some additional provision to cover exceptional needs or contingencies."

Read The Third Way Manifesto just as you read Marx a long time ago. It is serious stuff. Think of EU socialists as you would members of The Progressive Caucus.

yitbos

[Bonaparte]

"I told them this was getting silly..."

She's just catching on that these people are clowns?

[McGavin999]

They now feel there is no further need to hide their agenda. The EU countries are so ensnared they will be unable to extricate themselves. I fear they are all lost.